Use your phone, save some $$

Its almost three months in and 2014 has the potential to be a great year, especially if you aren’t stressed about money. Fortunately, with countless personal finance apps, saving money is easier than ever.

If sticking with your budget is on your resolution list, the following apps can help you get your finances in line. Monitor your expenses, find discounts, and stay organized by turning your phone into a digital wallet.

Mint: Securely consolidate your accounts, track how much money you’re spending and receive alerts when bills are due. You can also set reminders and personal finance goals, tag expenditures by category, and view your financial data as simple charts or Excel spreadsheets. According to Maniago, in the last three years Mint users have collectively set more than 6 million financial goals and saved more than $40 billion.

BillGuard: Protect yourself against “grey charges,” such as hidden fees, billing errors,free-to-paid charges, scams and credit card fraud. Verify and flag charges to your accounts directly through the app. BillGuard will also alert you when a user has flagged a charge similar to one in your account. The app also functions as a dashboard where you can track your spending patterns.

RedLaser: RedLaser is a barcode-scanning app for price comparisons. Scan a product to find out what it costs at nearby retailers; you can also buy items directly from the app and pick them up in-store.

ShopSavvy: This barcode and QR scanner shows you product details and price comparisons so you can decide whether to buy in-store or online. Create lists of items you might want to buy later and set price alerts to find when a product has been marked down.

TheFind: Connect to TheFind with Facebook to set up a personalized shopping hub. Save your favorite stores and brands to your account and receive alerts when your favorite products go on sale. Use the mobile app to scan barcodes and receive price alerts, plus share scanned and searched items with friends.

GasBuddy: Find the cheapest gas prices in your area, both online and on the road.

RepairPal: RepairPal eliminates the guesswork of finding a good mechanic. Tell them your car’s make and model, and it’ll give you a repair estimate and recommend “Top Shops” in your area.

RetailMeNot: Receive coupons and discounts from retailers like Macy’s, Walgreens and H&M. Use the mobile app to take your deals on the go and see what’s trending; you’ll also get automatic alerts when there are promotions nearby.

Trivago: Trivago compares the cost of hotel rooms on booking sites like hotels.com andExpedia and lets you know which site offers the best deals. Browse user reviews and photos and filter search results according to price, amenities, distance and star category.

Skyscanner: Skyscanner compiles prices from more than 1,000 airlines for the best deals on flights, hotels and car rentals.